Glass is used for a wide variety of products, including by way of example, automobile windshields, building windows, drinking glasses, trinkets, eyeglasses, etc. A typical part of the finishing process for many glass products includes glass grinding, which is commonly done to contour and smooth glass edges. A by-product of the glass grinding process includes small glass particles that are separated from the finished piece of glass. These glass particles are sometimes referred to as glass “swarf.”
In glass processing facilities, the swarf typically accumulates on the floor of the facility. When glass swarf accumulates, it tends to compact and harden, even when saturated with water, which makes it difficult and inconvenient to remove from the facility. Various processes are currently used to facilitate the removal of the slag, including water circulation (irrigation) systems, which basically uses water as a medium to whisk away the swarf before it any significant amount can accumulate on the floor. While existing systems (such as irrigation systems) are effective in removing glass swarf from the immediate grinding site, the swarf still tends to accumulate and harden at other locations—such as in system equipment, drain lines, dump vats, etc.—once it is removed from the immediate grinding site. Hardened glass swarf causes significant problems and expense associated with removing it. Despite the presence of water, hardened glass slag often must be forcibly removed with heavy equipment such as jackhammers. Maintenance and replacement of specialized systems is costly and is attributed to the difficulty in handling glass slag. Furthermore, costs are incurred for manufacturing downtime while the valuable glass grinding systems undergo lengthy maintenance.
Accordingly, the inventor has recognized that it would be desirable to have a process that would provide an effective way to process glass swarf so as to avoid other costly processes for removing hardened glass swarf. Such a process would reduce costs for system maintenance, system downtime, and swarf handling.